There are five different components you will see on your GMAT score, including a score for the Analytical Writing Assignment, Integrated Reasoning, Verbal scaled score: Quantitative scaled score, and the Verbal and Quantitative cumulative score. Most often, when you read about GMAT scores or speak with other students about GMAT scores, this is referencing the Verbal and Quantitative cumulative score, which ranges between 200-800 points.

The scoring in GMAT quantitative reasoning section is somewhat unusual. The quantitative reasoning is scaled on a score range of 0-60; scores below 6 and above 51 are rare. From the 31 questions, you will get around 3 experimental questions which won’t be scored. The experimental sections will be included in both the quantitative and verbal section. However, you would have no way of knowing which one is the experimental section, so you have to take each question with the same seriousness.

The Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections of the GMAT are computer-adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the test tailors itself in real-time to your ability level. This feature allows the exam to assess your potential with a higher degree of precision and deliver scores that business schools trust. This means that, the first question you receive in either the Verbal or Quantitative sections will be of medium difficulty. As you answer each question, the computer scores your answer and uses it as well as your responses to any preceding question to select the next question. If you answer the first question correctly, the computer will usually give you a harder question. If you answer the first question incorrectly, your next question will be easier.  This process continues until you complete the section, using responses to all previously answered questions, at which point the computer will have and accurate assessment of your ability in that subject. You will not be able to skip, return to, or change your answers to questions. This is because the computer uses your response to each question to select the next one. It is important to try to answer every question. Because the algorithm is working continuously, missing a handful of questions at the end can undesirably affect your score.

You will be given a percentile score for the Quantitative Reasoning section along with the other scores you receive on the GMAT. This is the most accurate way to compare yourself to other GMAT test-takers. Using data from the previous three years, percentiles compare your score to how well others did on the test. For example, you may have a Quantitative score of 47 and a percentile ranking of 70%. This means that you scored higher than 70% of the people who have taken the GMAT in the past three years, and that 30% of test-takers scored higher than you did. This can be very helpful in understanding the other applicants you will be competing with for a spot in the business program of your choice. It also helps put into perspective how competitive a particular program is, as it will help you understand how these programs expectations compare to the average test-taker.